Minneapolis Institute of Arts

What Clicks? Project Overview

In 2004, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts completed a major research and development project—called What Clicks?—assessing its audiences' relationship with the MIA’s interactive media and Web resources.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, an encyclopedic art museum, produces and maintains two Web sites (artsmia.org and artsconnected.org—the latter in conjunction with Walker Art Center). It also provides its physical visitors with a host of interactive media resources in the museum itself—from an interactive museum directory to a large number of permanent collection-based programs located throughout the building. The research was designed to a) measure audience awareness, use, and satisfaction regarding these resources; b) respond to those findings with improvements; then c) re-measure to gauge the effect of the improvements. A further goal of this project is to share its logic model, methodology, instruments, and findings with the museum community.

Major What Clicks? Reports

REPORT: Executive Summary Download pdf
Overall project summary. (4 pages)

REPORT: Overview and Goals Download pdf
Includes Project Profile, Museum Profile, Process Outline, etc. (5 pages)

REPORT: Major Findings Download pdf
Overview of findings in four areas of study: Interactive Directory, Interactive Learning Stations, Web Site, and Marketing effort. (8 pages)

REPORT: Interactive Museum Directory Download pdf
Detailed findings regarding the interactive Museum Directory—an in-museum resource for visitors. (9 pages)

REPORT: Interactive Learning Stations Download pdf
Detailed findings regarding collection-based in-museum programs. (12 pages)

REPORT: Web Site (www.artsmia.org) Download pdf
Detailed findings regarding The Institute's main Web site. (11 pages)

REPORT: Marketing for Technology in the Museum and on the Web Download pdf
Detailed findings regarding the What Clicks? marketing project. (6 pages)

REPORT: Key Lessons Download pdf
General findings and their implications for the museum field. (7 pages)

REPORT: Evaluation Download pdf
Outcome Based Evaluation prepared specifically for IMLS. Includes Findings, Unintended Impacts, Contributing Factors, and Challenges. (11 pages)

Other What Clicks? Reports

REPORT: LCD Focus Group Report Download pdf
A focus group study of visitor reaction to small-scale interpretive video displays in the galleries. (27 pages)

REPORT: Directory Usability Study Download pdf
A usability study for gauging the success of a Museum Directory prototype. (3 pages)

REPORT: Technology Baseline Report, 2002 Download pdf
Baseline findings that supported subsequent redesign and marketing decisions. (87 pages)

REPORT: Web Site Usability Download pdf
Report on Web Usability sessions -- 2003 and 2004. (6 pages)

REPORT: Web Terminology Report Download pdf
Report on a survey designed to measure the effectiveness of Web terms (e.g. category names, like "The Collection") currently in use on the site and to solicit better terms. (3 pages)

REPORT: Web Statistics Download pdf
Observations on statistical trends in Web visitation -- 2000 to 2004. (7 pages)

REPORT: Home Page Use Download pdf
Report on the relationship between visitors who enter the site via the Home Page versus those who enter through other pages on the site. (3 pages)

REPORT: Museum Visitor Survey (2001) Download pdf
A pre-What Clicks? visitor survey report that includes media/technology questions. (38 pages)

REPORT: Online Teacher Newsletter Focus Group Download pdf
Notes from a focus group measuring teacher reactions to an online newsletter. (10 pages)

What Clicks? Project Contacts

Jim Ockuly
Director of Interactive Media
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
(612) 870-3271

Kate Johnson
Education Chair
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
(612) 870-3188

What Clicks? was funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership grant.